Posts Tagged With: free agency

Officially the NFL free agency period begins Tuesday at 4pm. That does not mean we cannot look ahead.

I already wrote about Ndamukong Suh here. Suh clearly was the biggest target of this offseason not just for the Dolphins but for free agency overall. It has been widely reported that he will sign with Miami.

So what is next?

These are my targets, not necessarily the Miami Dolphins targets. No inside information. Simply thoughts on what would work for me.

Dan Williams, DT: Yes apparently Ndamukong Suh is coming. Why would you need another defensive lineman? Because you still need a nose. At 6’2 and 327lbs Williams can eat up space, allowing the linebackers to make plays in the running game. A.J. Francis may be able to man this spot but an extra body is always welcome.

Mason Foster, ILB: Speaking of linebackers. Foster could help shore up the middle linebacker position freeing Koa Misi to move back outside where he belongs. Anyone who follows me knows I am very high on Erik Kendricks from UCLA in the draft so this would be a luxury signing.

Clint Boling, G: The 25-yr old former Cincinnati Bengals would go a long way to shore up the guard position which has been an albatross for years. Signing Boling would set four of the five starting positions across the offensive line, no reason not to take a shot.

Andre Johnson, WR: The 33-yr old receiver is going to be a popular target. Would he come home to Miami(he played for the U in college) or is he looking for a more sure shot at the playoffs? His presence would be invaluable for the young receivers in Miami and he should easily fill the number one position for at least a couple of years.

Andre Holmes, WR: At 6’4 and 210lbs Holmes would give the Dolphins some much-needed size at the wide receiver position. He is a restricted free agent so the Oakland Raiders can match any offer but there is no draft pick compensation to worry about. This would be one of the smaller signings that end up looking big when the games actually matter.

There are many other moves that could be made in the coming weeks. There is no crystal ball. Should be a fun time.

Hunting season is almost here. The NFL Free Agency season opens Tuesday at 4pm.

Like most years there is one marquee player grabbing most of the attention. This year that player is Ndamukong Suh. He is the white whale this offseason. Franchises will put it all on the line to sign him.

Suh is the $100-million dollar man this week. The San Diego Chargers just threw their name in the ring, joining the Oakland Raiders, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chicago Bears, his former team the Detroit Lions and the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins seem to be the frontrunners. They are going big-game hunting again. This is not the first time they have gone after the biggest name during the offseason. Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Mike Wallace all come to mind. While they have had some success the Dolphins have also been used to drive up the price on free agents who never intended to sign with the storied franchise.

Suh is absolutely worth the money. He is clearly the second best defensive lineman in the league-sorry but J.J. Watt is still number one. Talent has never been a question. Watching him at Nebraska in college it was clear he was a man among boys. Even his occasional on-field penalties should not give any team pause. Still the price tag is daunting.

$17 million a year. That is what we are talking about on the low-end. That is elite-quarterback money. That is Aaron Rodgers-Tom Brady money. It is scary. For that money you can sign two or three very good players, maybe even pro bowl players. For that kind of money you have to be sure or it can cripple a franchise.

Miami has the money. Question is do they pull the trigger?

This week I considered what to do with the defensive tackle position with or without Suh. I came up with three ideas I like.

Scenario #1:

Sign Ndamukong Suh and Jared Odrick. Bring Odrick home. He has been the best interior defensive lineman for the Dolphins for the last few season. Pairing him with Suh would solidify the middle for years to come.

Scenario #2:

Sign Suh and Dan Williams, the free agent nose tackle from the Arizona Cardinals. At 6’2 and 327 lbs, Williams can eat up space in the middle while Suh, Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon terrorize opposing offenses.

Scenario #3:

Sign Odrick and Williams. Yes they miss out on the shiny signing of Suh. That is ok. The defensive line is still strengthened and you have a chunk of cap space available to address other needs.

Jeff Ireland is on the clock. The Miami Dolphins general manager enters this offseason with a target on his back. It is sink or swim time for Ireland. Either make the moves to give Miami a winning season or he is sunk, he is likely negotiating for his career.

It all started Tuesday at 4pm.

The Dolphins hit the water like Michael Phelps. Signing wide receiver Mike Wallace to a contract for $60 million over five years, later in the afternoon they added linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler.

Bold moves and they are just getting started.

There are still moves to be made, holes to be filled. Miami still needs help on the offensive line, tight end and at cornerback. They have the ammunition to make these moves. Even after the moves on Tuesday they have some salary cap room to sign a couple more free agents and after that there is the draft. The Dolphins have nine picks in the draft including five in the first 82 picks.

This offseason has the chance to be a game changer, but that doesn’t matter. All that matters is what happens in the regular season. Winning the offseason is nice; winning when it counts is what matters. They finished 7-9 last season, that will not do this season.

Two wins. It is that simple, two wins. That is what Jeff Ireland needs. Get those wins and he may keep his job, without them he is sunk.

The Super Bowl signals the end of the NFL season. The end of months of hard work and struggle before crowning a champion in one final game: One winner, thirty-one losers.

Let us be honest: the season never ends.

Officially free agency begins the offseason on March 9th. However teams already are making moves and slowly changing the way they will look in the upcoming season. General Managers set the table for what they want to do in March in February.

Players are resigned, others released, and still others are put up as trade bait. The landscape of the NFL prepares to change in big and little ways leading up to the draft in April.

Good players, talented players will find themselves without a home. Some are getting older, others simply disagree on how much they are worth, all of them hope to continue their professional careers.

As teams consider these players, remember “Buyer Beware”-there is a reason they are no longer with their previous teams.

Whether it is money, discipline, age, injury the reasons do not matter. The simple fact is that they are no longer wanted by their teams. That should give prospective suitors pause.

Why are they gone?

What mistakes did they make?

Why are they not getting paid?

Many teams prefer to resign their own free agents. After all they know these players better than anyone else. Signing strangers is courting the unknown.

The NFL is a team game. One player, no matter how good, rarely changes a team’s fortunes. One mistake can bring down a season.